|
 Ten days later, his 82-year-old wife Michela also died of the
disease.
Unlike many other European countries, Italy did not give automatic
precedence to its army of pensioners when it launched its
inoculation campaign in December, even though they were bearing the
brunt of the disease.
The failure to provide swifter protection has cost thousands of
lives, experts say, and stoked anger about a fragmented health
system under which regions take most of the decisions and the
central government has struggled to impose a clear strategy.
"People could have been saved," said Giorgio Airaudo, the son of
Agostino and Michela, and the head of Italy's powerful FIOM
metalworkers' union in the northern region of Piedmont.
"As soon as the vaccines arrived, there was no justification for not
giving priority to fragile people and the elderly...," he told
Reuters by telephone.
"But this did not happen. The government made suggestions and each
region did as they pleased."
More than 110,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Italy, the world's
seventh highest tally. Their average age was 81, and 86% of them
were 70 or over, data from the ISS national health institute shows.
Many countries, including Britain and the United States, vaccinated
old people first, recognising their great vulnerability.
Italy's government also said the over 80s should get priority, but a
haphazard rollout has allowed professionals including lawyers,
magistrates and university professors to move to the head of the
queue in many places.
As the death rate has fallen in much of Europe thanks to the early
impact of the vaccines, Italy's has stayed stubbornly high, and its
average daily toll of 431 during the past week was the highest on
the continent, according to Reuters data.
Acknowledging the problem, Prime Minister Mario Draghi - the epitome
of measured calm during his eight-year stint as head of the European
Central Bank - on Thursday made an impassioned plea to fellow
Italians to wait their turn.
"With what conscience does someone jump the line knowing that they
are leaving a person who is over 75 or fragile exposed to the real
risk of dying?" Draghi told reporters.
"Stop vaccinating people under 60," he said, raising his voice.
'DEATH, PAIN AND GRIEF'
At the start of this year, Italy's 20 regions focused almost
exclusively on protecting health workers, even those in their 20s
with no contact with patients. Most places did not begin mass
vaccinations for over 80s until mid-February.
By that stage, France and Germany had already given a first dose to
20% of their over 80s.
Italy has since caught up with the EU average, with data from the
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showing it had
given at least one shot to 62% of its over 80s. But just 13.4% of
people in their 70s have had a first dose, the lowest rate in Europe
after Bulgaria.
Regional governors say they followed government guidelines and blame
delays on slower-than-expected vaccine deliveries.
They also say they were blindsided in January when the national drug
regulator advised that the AstraZeneca/Oxford shot should only be
used for the under 55s.
[to top of second column] |
 They had planned to give this
shot to older residents and had to change
strategy. Now guidance has swung round again
with a recommendation that it should be used
only for over-60s after concern emerged that it
may cause rare blood clots in young adults.
Matteo Villa, a researcher with the ISPI
think-tank, says other EU nations facing the
same issues were more agile. His analysis
suggests Italy could have saved 11,900 lives had
it focused more on the elderly.
"Central government did not control the
situation and then, amazingly, many of the
regions did not prepare carefully for the
rollout," Villa told Reuters.
He said some regions competed with each other to
see who could administer the most shots, and
found it easier to corral health workers than
the elderly. "This isn't a race
...This is a situation where there is death, pain and grief," said
the union boss Airaudo.
His parents lived in Piedmont, which is centred on Turin. They both
had serious ailments and had registered with their doctor for the
vaccine. An algorithm adopted by the region decides who gets a
vaccine, and when.
Piedmont health officials did not respond to questions over why they
had not received timely shots.
'AN INCREDIBLE MESS'
Adding to the confusion, each region uses its own booking system.
Franco Perco, 81, lives in the central Marche region, a COVID-19
hotspot. He is still waiting for a vaccine appointment despite
numerous phone calls to helplines and efforts to book online.
"I feel very scared. There is no clarity," said Perco, the former
head of one of Italy's major national parks. "I am going out as
little as possible."
Under the constitution, Italian regions have broad autonomy over
healthcare decision-making, even during a pandemic.
In Tuscany, Abruzzo and Sicily, magistrates and lawyers were given
priority status. In the southern region of Molise, journalists were
allowed early vaccinations. Lax supervision in Sicily meant one
priest was able to get his congregation vaccinated regardless of
age.
"It created an incredible mess. It has served as a lesson for us to
be more careful," said Angelo Aliquò, the health agency director
general in the Sicilian city of Ragusa.
Health undersecretary Andrea Costa, who took office in February,
told Reuters that mistakes had been made in not clearly identifying
priority groups.
"There will be time in the future to analyse what happened, but now
we need to achieve as soon as possible immunization which will allow
a return to normal life," he said.
Angered by the sudden death of both his parents, Airaudo hopes there
will be a reckoning.
"I always thought that decentralisation was about being close to the
people. Instead, today we have confusion, difference, injustice and
delays," he said.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante; editing by John
Stonestreet)
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